Macomb County’s smallest school district and a fledgling parochial institution demonstrated teamwork recently when they agreed to provide students of both opportunities to play interscholastic sports.

New Haven Community Schools announced it will open its athletic teams for participation by students from the Austin Catholic Academy. The entities reached a two-year agreement that goes into effect next fall.

“I got into education to help kids,” said Keith Wunderlich, New Haven superintendent of schools. “This agreement helps New Haven kids. We’re a small school district and sometimes we don’t have enough students to play a sport. But working with Austin, we will now have enough athletes to play certain sports.”

With about 1,400 K-12 students, New Haven is the smallest district in Macomb County. As such, finding enough students to fill a wide range of sports can be difficult.

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Austin Catholic Academy is even smaller. In just its second year of existence, the parochial high school enrolls just 18 students in grades 9 and 10. Another grade is scheduled to be added next year.

The academy leases space in one of New Haven’s buildings, the former Seifert school on 26 Mile Road near North Avenue. With such a small enrollment, students interested in sports have few choices.

Lisa Schulz, a teacher who doubles as athletic director for Austin, said the idea of a partnership grew out of the desire of just a few academy students to play high school football.

“We only have 18 students (boys and girls) in the whole school, so obviously we can’t field a football team,” Schulz said. Overtures to Cardinal Mooney and Lutheran North high schools were unsuccessful, Schulz said.

Enter New Haven, which has seen its athletic participation numbers decline in recent years. New Haven officials found appealing the idea of additional students to fill its sports teams.

After securing necessary approvals from the Macomb Area Conference, the league in which New Haven competes, and the Michigan High School Athletic Association, the plan solidified.

“It might work,” said Jim Venia, New Haven athletic director. “It just seems like it’s made to be.”

Starting next fall, boys and girls who attend Austin Catholic Academy will be invited to join athletic teams that represent New Haven High School. When they do, they’ll still be academy students, but they’ll be considered New Haven athletes.

As a bonus, New Haven does not operate a “pay-to-pay” athletic program, so the Austin students will not be charged to participate.

“I’m happy we can give this opportunity to the students (at Austin Catholic Academy),” said Schulz. “… I think sports are just as important as academics.”

The agreement will be reviewed every two years, and either side can terminate the arrangement. Moreover, officials from both sides hope partnership spreads from the playing field into the classroom in the form of theater, art, music, foreign language and any of a number of other disciplines to enhance education opportunities for students at both institutions.